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(No Model.)

0. E. GHINNOGK.

GASH GARRIER.v

OWE/rm 7? 14477156655 Q aw 1424 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. CHINNOCK, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

CASH-CARRIER.

FJPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345,884, dated July Application filed January 23, 1886. Serial No. 189.496. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. CHINNOGK, of Brooklyn, in Kings county, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cash Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore cash-carriers have been made so that the balls or other vehicles containingand carrying the cash have been released at their destination by means of electromagnetic apparatus.

The object of my present improvement is to provide for effecting the release of the balls or other vehicles without causing them to act upon the electromagnetic apparatus. In the cash-carrier which I have devised the electromagnetic apparatus whereby the release of the balls or other vehicles is effected I operate from the cashiers desk, whence the balls or other vehicles are transmitted.

I will describe in detail a cash-carrier embodying my improvement, and then point out the various novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a (ashcarrier embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofa portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of another portion of the same, whereby the operation of the electromagnetic apparatus is controlled. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of the cash-carrier, illustrating the manner in which'the balls or other vehicles carrying the cash will be released on arriving at their destination. Fig. 5 is aplan or top view of a portion of the cash-carrier comprising a switch.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates a track, which is shown as trough-shaped, so as to accommodate a ballshaped vehicle, B, for carrying cash. The ball-shaped vehicles employed may be of any suitable number. They can all be of one size. Each will consist, preferably, of two hemispherical sections hinged together at one portion and fastened by a catch at an opposite portion. Although I prefer touse these ballshaped vehicles, yet my improvement is not at all dependent upon their employment, but can be utilized with vehicles of other shapes.

The track A has leading to it branch tracks A A A. These branch tracks lead from the cashiers desk in a store or other place, whence change is to be transmitted to the salespeople for customers, and these branch tracks are inclined slightly from the cashiers desk to their junction with the main track A. The main track A is also inclined away from these branch tracks to the places occupied by the sales-peo ple, to whom the cash is to be transmitted from the cashiers desk. There may of course be any desirable number of the branch tracks, although I have shown but three, leading from the cashicrs desk to the main track A. The main track A may of course bendaround, so as to extend in any desired directions to the places whither the cash-carrying vehicles are destined to go. From this main track there may be any desirable number of branches. I have shown but one, A

It is important that the tracks should be of uniform incline, so that the time which it will take for a ball, B, to travel to any particular place will always be proportional to the distance of that placefrom the cashiers desk. It may be found advantageous to make the balls B of heavy material, so that the speed at which they will travel shall not be materially varied by the weight of the change that may be placed within them. This would tend to cause them to travel to the required places in uniform periods of time,

I have not illustrated the track whereby the balls B will be caused to travel to the cashiers desk. As my improvement involves nothing new about this track or its appurtenances, I have not deemed it necessary to be illustrated.

0 C C C designate traps, which are capable of opening or swinging downwardly to permit the escape of the balls B into pockets or receptacles D D D D*, arranged below them. The several traps 0 G1, &c., are pivoted on pins 0", and have counterbalancingweights 0, whereby they will be raised to their normal positions after having been swung downward. These pockets or receptacles will be provided with doors, which can be opened to enable the balls B to be taken out. I have shown such a door, 0, in Fig. 4. It is adapted to swing around in a horizontal plane into a position convenient for the removal of a ball. The doors of these pockets or receptacles are to be operated by the sales-people when the balls pass into them. It must of course be understood that the traps and the pockets or receptacles are to be arranged adjacent to the different counters in a store.

.The operation of the traps is controlled by electro magnetic mechanisms E E E E. These electromagnetic mechanisms are all alike. The construction of all may therefore be understood by reference to the enlarged illustration of one given in Fig. 4. Each of these electromagnetic mechanisms consists of an electro'magnet, e, and an armature therefor, e, adapted to swing toward and from the poles of the electro magnet in the ordinary manner. The upper end of the armature normally projects beneath the adjacent traps O or G, &c., and so supports it. A spring, 6, keeps the armature normally in this position. \Vhenever the clectro-magnet is energized, the armature is drawn toward it, and thus moved beyond the trap, whereupon the latter is free to swing downward intothe position indicated in dotted outlines in Fig. 4.. If a ball, B, happens to be above a trap at the time that the latter is allowed to swing downwardly by the movement of the armature beyond it, under the influence of the attractive force of the electro-magnet, the weight of the ball will swing the trap downwardly. The ball will then pass into the adjacent pocket D or D", &c. After the ball has passed beyond the trap the latter will be swung up into its normal position by the counterbalance-weight 0 and as the adjacent electro-magnet will then be de-energized its armature will swing beneath the trap and again support it. The electro-mag nets will severally be energized only for a moment, as their only function is to release the traps at any desired time.

F is a battery, which supplies the electric current whereby the elect ro-magnets e are energized. As shown, main wires G G" extend from its poles. Branch wires 9 extend from the coils of the electro-magnet of the electromagnetic mechanism E. The branch wire connects with the main wire G and the branch wire 9 connects with one part, h, of a circuit-closing device, H. The other part, h, of this circuit-closing device is connected with the main wire G.

The coils of the electro-magnet in the electro-magnetic mechanism E have extending from them branch wires f f. The branch wire f" connects with the main wire G. The branch wiref extends to one part, it, of a circuit-closing device, H. The other part, h, of this circuitclosing device H is connected by a branch wire, I), with the main wire G.

The coils of the electro-maguet in the electromagnetic mechanism E will be connected with the battery G and a circuit-closing device in substantially the same way as the electro-magnets of the electromagnetic mechanisms E and E.

The coils of the electro-magnet in the electro magnetic mechanism E are connected to branch wires 2" The branch wire 2 is connected to the main wire G Thebranch wire 1" is connected with one part, h, of a circuitclosing device, H. The other part, h, of this circuit-closing device is connected by a wire, 2' with the main wire G.

At the junction of the main track A and the branch track A isaswitch, S. This may be best understood by reference to the plan or top view, Fig. 5. Normally it occupies such a position that it prevents a ball, B, passing from the trackA into the track Aiand is in such position as to direct a ball past the track A along the track A. It has rigidly connected 'with it an arm, S, and swings upon a pivot, 8. When moved into such position that it will extend across the track A,its arm S will extend across or partly across the track A The switch may be moved into position to extend across the track A by means of an electro-magnet or solenoid, I. The core I of this solenoid is pivotally connected to an extension from the switch S. WVhen thesolenoidis energized, the switch S will be swung into a position to cross the track A. The switch will then remain in that position, although the solenoid be energized but momentarily. A ball, B, travelling along the track A will then pass into the track A On coming into contact with the arm S it will, however, shift the switch into a position to cross the track A and direct any ball immediately following continuously along the track A. The switch will occupy the latter position until the solenoid shall be again energized. The coils of this solenoid areconnected to branch wires jj The branch wirej is connected with the main wire G The branch j is connected with one part, h, of a circuit-closing device, H The other part, h, of this circuit-closing device is formed integral with the part h of the circuit-closing device H, and hence is connected by the wire 12 wit-h the main wire G.

It will be understood that the operation of the various circuit closing devices will effect the operation of the electro-magnets that are in circuit with them.

The circuit-closing devices are arranged upon chutes J J J. These chutes are arranged in vertical positions beneath the branch tracks A A A". Each consists of an upright case or box having inclined planes pp extending from opposite sides nearly across it, so that a ball, B, dropped into one of the chutes will run down one of the incline planesp, and, escaping at the bottom thereof, pass to the nearest incline plane 19 and from the latter to the second inclined plane, 1), and so on. A ball, 1), is placed in a recess, a, in each of the branch tracks A AKA from the chutes J J J, and while there rests upon a trap, a". The traps a are pivoted at A and provided with counterbalancing-weights a", as may be clearly seen by reference to Fig. 2. The counterbalancing-weights a normally maintain them in position to support the balls IIS P. \Vhen one of the balls B is started down one of the tracks A"A A, it rolls over the projection a, with which the trap a of such track is provided, and depresses this trap, so as to effect the release of the ball P, previonsly'supported thereby. This ball I? will then fall down the chute which is beneath such track passing from one to another of the inclined planes therein, as previously de scribed. The inclined planes of the several chutes extend throughout different portions of thelengths of the chutes, and beneath them in the chutes a vertical passage, 1), is arranged. The reason why the inclined planes in the chutes are used for different distances is that it will takeaball in one chutea different length of time from the ball in any other chute to es cape from the last inclined plane and enterthe vertical passage p \Vhen in the vertical passage pflit passes by the movablepart h of one of the circuit-closing devices previously described, and swings it into contact with the fixed part h thereof, thus effecting the closure of the circuit with which such circuit'closing device is connected.

It is intended that it shall take a ball,P,just such time to descend to the circuitclosing de vice of any chute as it will take a ball, B, to pass to the trap or switch controlled by the circuit-closing device-as, for instance, a ball, P,

. descending through the chute J will effect the closure of the circuit-closing device H just in advance of the time that a ball, I), placed in the branch track A, will arrive over the trap G; consequently the trap G will have been released, so that the ball B can drop into the pocket D.

The chute J has two circuit-closing devices, H" H, because a ball, 1?, passing through this chute has to first effect the closure of the circuit closing device H to effect the operation of the solenoid I, in order that the switch 8' shall direct a ball,B,placed in the track Afiand pa sing thence into the track A, from thelatter into the track A and subsequently as to effect the closure of the circuit-closing device H", in order that the trap 0 may be released to permit the ball B on arriving over the latter to drop into the pocket D".

The operation of the circuit-closing device may be best understood by reference-to Fig. 3.

The balls 1?, after having passed the eircuitclosing devices of the several chutes in which they are used, pass into a trough,T,from which they may be taken for use again.

The chutes, with their inclined planes and balls 1?, are in effect time mechanisms, because they determine the time at which the circuitclosing devices shall operate.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a cash-carrier, the combination of inclined tracks,traps in said tracks,eleetro-magnetic mechanisms for controlling the traps,and time mechanisms for determining the periods at which the elcctro-magnetic mechanisms shall operate.

2. In a cash-carrier, the combination of inclined tracks, traps in said tracks,e1ectro-magnetic mechanisms for controlling the traps, circuit-closing devices for the electromagnetic 1nechanisms,and chutes having inclined planes for receiving balls whereby the circuit-closing devices may be operated.

8. In a cashcarrier, the combination of an inclined track, a switch at the junction of two tracks, electro magnetic mechanism for operating the switch, and time mechanism for determining the periods at which the switch shall be operated.

4. In a cash-carrier, the combination of an inclined track, a chute, as J, having inclined planes, a recess, as a, in track, a trap, as a", provided with a projection, as (R, extending up through the track, and a counter-balance for said traps. I

5. In a cash'carrier, the combination of inclined tracks, traps in said tracks,electro-magnetic mechanisms for controlling the traps,and time mechanisms serving to determine the periods at which the electromagnetic mechanisms shall operate, and having releasing devices extending into the paths traveled by the cash-carrying vehicles.

0. E. CHINNOGK.

\Vitnesses:

EDWIN H. BROWN, DANIEL H. DRISOOLL. 

